We can often find ourselves in situations that cause us to overthink. In the case of maintenance troubleshooting, we may wonder what the cause of a problem is, feel anxious about it and hope we can find a timely resolve. Young, fresh-out-of- school apprentices often hear the coined phrase that they know “just enough to be dangerous.” I would also argue that they might know just enough to want to wonder even more. Time brings opportunity, which brings experience. There are certain things a textbook or school environment will not teach you. And even after 28 years in this industry, I continue to find new resolves to new problems — each created by their own experience and opportunity to learn.
I recently found myself back in one of my favorite places — Hawaii. A paradise with something for everyone, Hawaii brings a very unique environment in the most literal of ways. Humidity, moisture, salt, sun and iron-clad soil create a challenging place for aircraft to thrive. Some conditions can change within minutes, while others remain constant. Over time, the effects of these conditions take a toll on an aircraft. Most are visible (corrosion), but there are also those where their effects are evident but their source is invisible.
I was tasked to work on a helicopter that needed some minor upgrades to its avionics and utility systems. I was keeping to myself and going about my day, and around me, so was everyone else. The business of the day involved many moving pieces, with aircraft coming and going. Utility contracts and state contract obligations were center stage, with scheduled flights taking place throughout the day. As we broke for lunch, the crew came together in the lounge to enjoy a much-needed rest. As the chatter developed amongst us, we each shared an update on our day, along with some laughter and general conversation.
In the background, just outside the lounge door, was a handheld MF radio used by the day pilot, who was tasked with monitoring the emergency services (911 dispatch). It crackled to life with a report of a fire that required the assistance of both ground and aerial crews. Within seconds, the hangar became a flurry of activity. Lunch was put on pause as everyone took on their pre-determined roles to ready the helicopters (three in total) to combat what was a stubborn brush fire. As they took off, l left the company radio tuned to the fire department frequency and listened to the communication during the initial approach to the scene.
One of the pilots began reporting issues with his aircraft. Each time he opened or closed the valve on the water bucket slung below him, the “engine out” warning would sound. As he hovered to fill the water bucket, he tried keying the PA siren, but it was inoperative. There was a third issue with the engine out warning, but the radio transmission was inaudible at the time. Concerned, I echoed these issues to the company’s lead mechanic — to not only make him aware of the problem, but also to get permission to tackle them when the aircraft returned. My mind raced with probability and possibility when it came to thinking about the cause. But the lead mechanic’s response was a smile and shoulder shrug as he walked back in the direction he came to resume his work. I wondered what he knew that I didn’t. Why wasn’t he concerned?
It turned out the problem aircraft had flown earlier that same day, doors off and through a rainstorm. Some of the issues had been reported prior to the fire callout. The cyclic and collective control(s) connector(s) are not hermetically sealed, and therefore have their contacts exposed to the elements. Some portion of each system in question has wiring that routes to and from the control sticks. With the abundant rain and resulting moisture, these connectors got wet. As we know, water conducts electricity, and it provided a path for some circuits to come into contact with one another. The result? Reported problems that made no logical sense — but were resolved by simply letting things dry out.
The path to resolve isn’t always a north-south thought process. Sometimes you need to detour and take the unconventional backroad and look outside your immediate field of view — both physically and mentally — to truly see a problem for what it is. When any issue is ‘too much’ of any one thing, there is generally one dominant source.
And in our case, the culprit was quickly dispatched with an afternoon of clear blue skies and warm sunshine.
